Your Biggest Newb Mistake?

[ChiefXP]

I think it would add a little bit of humor to the forums if we had a threat for the "Biggest" Newbie mistakes. I mean come on guys, if you are having a rough night you can log on here and read what all the morons have done, just to make yourself feel better from others misfortunes.

Heck, I'll Start!



I was cleaning out my 10 gallon (my first tank, about 6-7 months ago) and I had an Electric Yellow, Jack Dempsey, Common Pleco, and a Black Convict. Yeah a strange variety, but they seemed to get along! And when I was cleaning it out I noticed I had a lot of hardwater stains on my AC 150 lid. It was like even my water was covered in hard water stains. So anyways, I unplug and take my filter over to the sink, and I cleaned the ENTIRE thing out... (Note this is after running the gravel vacuum over every square inch of the place) I cleaned the filter media and all...


Couple days or maybe it was a week later, all my fish died... Musta cleared out all the healthy bacteria.

[aquariumfishguy]

I wouldn't call anyone who made a mistake with aquaria and fishkeeping a "moron", just because of the fact that we all made mistakes when we first started out. I dont consider myself a moron, I dont know about what standards you hold to yourself though...;)

Anyway, my biggest mistake when I first started out was I left my aquariums in the care of a friend, who while I could trust in my home while I was away, knew nothing about fishkeeping! :rolleyes:

This "friend" wound up causing the loss of 5 expensive (at the time) fish and a major re-cycling of the tank. I had to remove everything out of the tank and start over again. I found TONS of flake food in the filter pads which is evidence that my fish were way overfed! :o

[Hpisavage21]

Added Ammonia to my tank, yeah I know its alright to cycle and that was what I was doing but I added one that was colored and had a "lemon" perfume.:confused:

[PumaWard]

Completely filling my 75g up with fish within 2 days after putting water in and then wondering why all the fish were dying.

the other would be that I used to assume that fish could recover from serious infections all on their own. :shake:

[pinballqueen]

Heh...

My biggest mistake...

Gee....

<counts the scars from fish with teeth, rocks with points, and heaters that get WAY too hot on her hands...>

I think my biggest mistake was when I was trying to move my raphael, who was 15 years old, btw, into a new tank.... barehanded. Hard to grab a 9-inch fish with your bare hands anyhow (he was way too big for my net), and I had no clue what the little bugger was capable of... I grabbed him around the midsection, and he grunted, then squeezed his fins down onto my hand, digging the little spines in the end about a quarter inch deep into my fingers....

Turns out they secrete a mild toxin along with their other body slime... and my hand was the size of a softball by morning....

[ChiefXP]

I am glad my fish are still small!

[belmont0182]

ok my story will prob. be one of the worst on the forum...please dont yell at me!!

so the first mistake i did was buy a 10 gallon kit from meijer(local supercenter) it came with a crapy heater that kinda worked and a filter that didnt work at all.

so the day after i set it up i was like ok, so lets go all out!! i think i bought like 15 fish, all but one slowly died off, it was so bad and i feel really bad for killing that many fish.

after buying a really nice power filter and a new heater my tank is much better, i also have healthy 5 gallon and 2 gallon tanks.

[aquariumfishguy]

Nah...I've heard worse. For now, we wont yell at you. :p

[net_shark512]

I was cleaning out my 10 gallon (my first tank, about 6-7 months ago) and I had an Electric Yellow, Jack Dempsey, Common Pleco, and a Black Convict

You had more problems than just cleaning your filter with those fish in a 10 gallon. We all do it. When I started I had a bala shark in a 10 gallon all he did was run into the glass and jump at the lid.:shake:

[victimizati0n]

trying to keep the tank too clean.

My dad could never keep fish for a long time, now we just leave them alone, and they are 13 years old +

[RTR]

Buying and keeping 4 (four, not a typo) Green Spotted Puffers (tetraodon nigroviridis)in a 10-gallon FW tank. But that was 40 years ago... I have learned a bit since then. The amazing thing is they all lived in that situation for over a year when they were moved up in the world, and to better water.

[aquariumfishguy]

Originally posted by RTR
But that was 40 years ago... I have learned a bit since then.

SHHHHhhhhh....Don't reveal that kind of info about yourself. :eek:

....Unless, of course you tell us you started keeping fish when you were 2. That would redeem yourself (and your age!) :laugh:

[daveedka]

I set up my first 55, and decided I needed to have airstones for oxygenation. I was already about halfway through a fishy cycle with two giant Danio's. I installed the stones and hoses but my old air pump didn't work so I left the hoses hanging with the intent of getting a new pump on my way home from work. What I didn't know was that water current can and will push water upward through a 1/4 line and start a siphon. There was still about an inch of water left in the tank when I got home so the danio's didn't die but cleaning 40 + gallons of fishy water out of the carpet was no fun at all.